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To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (25)	12/2/1999 7:05:00 PM
From: Jay Lowe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 68

This makes me think of the groupware thing. Sure would be nice if these web-based apps embraced the concepts of collaborative groups as exemplified by: - Lotus notes, Groupwise, StarOffice --- sun.com - Office 2000 web features - packaged SOHO web groupware --- unit1.myfreeoffice.com - web conferencing --- thinkofit.com I'm just struck by the opportunity to revisit the groupware issue is the context of this initiative ... since these existing solutions have barely penetrated the market ... they are so variously marginal. A comprehensive solution in light of the conceptual purification sought by these new desktop environments would be glorious. Thus I love it that these web-desktop folks are taking an open-system, open API model. Very smart, thinks I. In the 70's I was working on the Augment (nee' NLS ex SRI) system of Douglas Englebart ... I still have one of the original mice here on my shelf ... complete with it's pair of $300 pots and metal wheels. Time was we made 'em by hand and couldn't give 'em away. The thing is ... in 1973, Augment gave me BETTER overall service than MS Office does today ... especially in terms of collaboration. lcc.gatech.edu Engelbart, Douglas C. "Coordinated Information Services for a Discipline or Mission-Oriented Community." Proceedings Second Annual Computer Communications Conference. January 24, 1973, San Jose, CA. Just can't have this thread go by without a bow to big daddy Doug whose brain shaped so much of all this today.

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (25)	12/2/1999 8:27:00 PM
From: Reginald Middleton	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 68

By placing the distributed system in a large company's proprietary network, let's say E&Y wiht 86,000 employees nationwide, you are eliminating much of the cost benefit of the solution. Who would man the data center and support it. If the customer does it, he is simply implementing a new architecture and not buying a service. This is how MSFT can gain a significant advantage, for if the big boys keep everything in house, MSFT will say why switch when Office 2000 can be distributed? If the large customer requests that we supply the manpower, we serve more as a consulting/temp agency than a service provider. Which means scalable margins will fall. I cannot go any farther into this since I don't want to give any ideas to the enemy:-)